


Courage from Love

by migratorycat



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, Female Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Fluff, Gentle Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-12 00:50:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20555501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/migratorycat/pseuds/migratorycat
Summary: After the Warrior of Light triumphs over Light and Darkness both, she turns her attention to the Crystal Exarch, who at long last has been revealed to be the one she loved so long ago. Their relationship grows deeper, and the distance between them closes.A medium-burn fluffy oneshot with gentle, loving sex and general cuteness to warm your heart.





	Courage from Love

The very next thing that consumed my mind after slaying Emet-Selch was G'raha Tia's tattered state. From the moment he limped up to us, his clothes torn and dried blood in streaks on his face, my watching gaze never left him. I was first to his side when he lay gasping for air after we surfaced from the Tempest. When he required support as we traveled back to the Crystarium, I immediately lent my shoulder. We rode the same amaro, and I rubbed his back soothingly and fretted as he rested against the beast's neck in front of me, slipping in and out of consciousness. When we finally reached his home, he shrugged away my help and insisted upon walking on his own strength for the people, who surely worried after him and would need to see him safe and strong. What did it matter if the people saw him strong if he collapsed and perished from exhaustion and his injuries later? But I kept my thoughts to myself, and we arrived and approached the cheering mob. They bombarded him, taxed him, and at length I had had enough for both him and myself, and my worry won out; when I coaxed him into returning to the tower to rest, he was very near to delirium in his fatigue. We accompanied him there and held our distance for his dignity until we had passed out of the eyes of the public - then he promptly collapsed on the crystal floor and passed into a deep sleep from which no shaking or shouting would wake him.

We brought him to his chambers. Urianger, Thancred and I teamed up to undress him and wipe away the grime of his injuries, then tucked him into bed, where the former stooped over him and spread the green glow of healing across his limbs. I chose a corner of the room and occupied it. I was resolved never to leave until G'raha woke again. And if he did not wake… I dared not consider it. My friends expressed concern over me, but I would not be dissuaded from taking up my vigil. I slept that night on the sofa, and had no dreams.

My hopes that he might have woken were dashed when I woke, myself, the following morning, and saw his sleeping face. My only consolation was that he seemed to be at peace, and not in pain. Y'shtola and Ryne delivered breakfast and bullied me into eating it, since I was too aggrieved to force myself to do it alone.

For two days I left his side only to assist in Crystarium business that he might have taken care of himself, or retrieve poultices or serums which would be administered to aid in his recovery. By the first day I had ingrained the pallor of his skin into my mind, that I might sense the slightest change in color for better or for worse. Urianger came several times a day to work his ministrations, but he assured me that there was little to do aside from letting him rest and recover naturally.

I sat one hour late in the night, staring at G'raha, admiring his beauty in slumber despite myself. To think that all this time it had been him, and I hadn’t recognized him. His voice had softened so under the burden of duty, so it was not so strange that I had not matched it to him, but the shape of his lips was the same, and had I not wanted to kiss those lips, all that time ago? Except he’d had to seal himself inside the tower, and my idle hopes had been forever dashed, or so I had thought.

I reached out and touched his face, sweeping my fingers over the slash of crystal through his cheek. He was cold. I slipped my hand under the blanket and felt over his heart; cold there, too.

I had stayed awake too long over these past few days, perhaps. I was barely thinking when I piled more blankets on top of him, then slipped under them myself and embraced him to feed him the warmth of my body.

To my credit, it seemed to work; when I woke the next morning, there was more color in his face, and he was warmer than he had been. I reluctantly climbed out of the bed and took my place again on the sofa. I would loathe to be discovered in such a compromising position by my comrades, but it had been… nice. Very nice.

I blushed to myself, thinking of what I had done.

When the sun was at its zenith that day, I lay drifting in and out of sleep on the sofa. It was then that I heard the stirring of limbs under blankets, and I sobered with a start and surged to my feet. G'raha was awake! He was sitting up and looking at me. I rushed to his side. My hand flew out and caressed his face, and I could not bother to think reproachful thoughts at my brazenness; I was far too delighted.

"You're awake," I observed uselessly in a breath. He smiled at me, and now it was my turn to spring to tears at a smile. I blinked to fight them away, and I was only marginally successful. "I'm so glad. I was so worried."

"There, now," said G'raha, stretching out his arm and wiping my tears away with his thumb, "no more tears. It's over. We're safe."

Those were my own words, which I'd said to him after my triumph. He gifted them back to me now, and unlike he had, I did not stop crying.

His voice was raspy, his throat likely dry. I rushed over to the table where a pitcher of water and a few cups sat ready. I quickly poured him one and returned, helping him sit up so he could drink. The task was what stopped my tears.

"Not a lot at once," I reminded him as he slaked his thirst, and he nodded and stopped, allowing me to set it on the nightstand nearby.

My hand was still on his bare back. I didn't want to stop touching him; I wanted to embrace him, in fact. I thought to myself, _ why not? _ and did exactly that. His arms wrapped around me and hugged me back, tightly. I brought us closer together and nuzzled my face against his face unabashedly. "Raha," I said softly, with full affection. He simply squeezed me tighter in response.

The door opened behind me, and I pulled away with a guilty blush. Urianger stepped into the room and said nothing for what he might have witnessed. He crossed to the other side of the bed, smiling warmly.

"Thou hast awoken from thy slumber," he said, "and art little worse for wear, it seems."

"It seems so," G'raha rejoined. "Thank you."

"No need for thanks on my account. I simply monitored thee as I could, and administered healing whenever necessary. Thou wouldst better express thy gratitude to our friend here, who left thy side not one moment since thou entered thy slumber."

G'raha looked at me again, and his smile was so sweet that I was forced to look away in embarrassment.

"Wouldst thou care for refreshment, as well as some assistance in dressing?"

For the first time he seemed to register his near-nakedness, and a stricken expression crossed his face. "Ah, yes," he said haltingly. Then to me, "Would you…?"

I dutifully went to the sofa and sat turned away from them to allow him privacy, even though I had witnessed and even assisted in stripping him the first time. For a time I listened to them struggling together, then I heard G'raha sink back into bed and took that as my cue to turn back around. He wore a long white shirt and white pants now, appropriate attire for a recovering patient. Urianger and I fluffed his pillows and stacked them so that he might sit upright, then the newly arrived Ryne promptly left again to fetch breakfast for everyone. Urianger left, too, with a promise to bring back bitter doses to swallow with his meal, leaving us alone again.

I sat on the bed next to him and laid my hand over his. "Can I get you anything?"

"Nothing that hasn't already been arranged," G'raha said smoothly. His other hand came to rest upon mine. "Thank you for staying with me."

"How could I not? I was worried sick." I shrugged with much more nonchalance than I felt. "Besides, I did leave at a few points, to fetch medicine and take care of some things that you couldn't."

"Then I thank you for that as well." He dropped his gaze to his lap, and his ears tilted a little with shame. "You are so good to me, in spite of the fact that I am undeserving of your kindness."

"Nonsense."

"I deceived you from the beginning and brought one of your closest friends into the fold of my deception. What sort of man deserves anything but scorn after such actions?"

"You had your reasons," I reminded him. "And it wasn't done in malice. You wanted to protect me."

"And I failed."

"I'm glad you failed." He looked up at me, eyes wide. "I'm glad you didn't die. I would miss you so terribly." My thumb stroked his finger, back and forth. "It all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

He smiled. "Not all of it. But perhaps."

"What hasn't worked out yet, definitely will soon." I reached over and retrieved the cup on the nightstand. "More water?"

* * *

I slept in my own bed that night. Despite G’raha taking only a small meal for dinner, I was sufficiently assured that he was well on his way to recovery, and my direct vigilance was no longer required. I slept easy, since I'd only had the opportunity to sleep on a less-than-comfortable sofa for the past few days.

The next morning, as I was sitting before the glamour mirror and preparing for the day, there was a knock on my door. I nearly blushed with shock at seeing G'raha standing outside, dressed for comfort in muted colors.

"Good morning," he said with a warm smile, and he raised a hand to cut off my impending protests against him being up and about. "Urianger deemed my health satisfactory enough to take a short walk to the Wandering Stairs and back, and to come fetch you," he informed me. "We're all there, having breakfast together. Would you care to join us?"

Mollified, I nodded with a grin. "But, will you please wait for me to get dressed before you walk back? I don't want you to walk alone."

G'raha shut his eyes and sighed, though his smile still made his face glow. "A small concession. Very well - but, pray, do not take too long. I really am famished."

I fought the childish part of me that wanted to blow him a kiss and rushed off to get dressed.

We walked back to the Wandering Stairs together as promised. I was blessed with the opportunity to observe him as we went, and each time he waved cordially to someone greeting him as they passed by, I found myself taken with this gracious persona of leadership, so similar indeed to his real personality. Often I found myself having to pretend, at least in part, to be the hero that the public saw in me; it was a guise I donned before battle and in victory, and not necessarily the face that my friends knew and appreciated. G'raha was his own type of hero through and through. He didn't have to pretend; he really was that gracious, that patient, that kind. By the time we reached the Wandering Stairs, my face hurt from smiling so constantly.

Breakfast arrived moments after we sat down and made ourselves comfortable. Platters of pancakes and pastries were arrayed before us one by one, and we were each served glasses of water and orange juice.

"You weren't there for the victory feast last night, so we figured we'd spoil you this morning," said one of the Wandering Stairs' chefs, who'd lent his broad Roegadyn shoulders to the delivery of the platters. "Please enjoy and let us know if you need anything." He clapped G'raha gently on the shoulder and said more softly, "Good to see you out and about, Exarch. You just let one of us know if there's anything you would like, and I'll see to it myself."

G'raha inclined his head gratefully in response.

The Scions all looked to him to begin. Realizing this, he gave a small start and smiled at each of us in turn before bending over the table to pilfer from the tower of pancakes. We leapt upon the feast like hungry wolves.

"I should teach them how to make some of the desserts from the Source," I remarked idly as I sampled each of the pastries. There were tarts of myriad flavors, bite sized cakes with sweet icing, fluffy cookies, and one bundt cake with a pit full of chocolate. "What do you all think?"

"It might be a novel exercise," Y'shtola said around a cheekful of pancake.

"I am not so sure," said G'raha, and we turned to him. I noticed for the first time that he was struggling to slice his pancakes; his hands were clumsy and at times trembling, and he couldn't leverage the knife as needed. Gently, I reached over and took the plate from him, and he handed me his utensils gratefully. "Thank you," he said as I began the chore of chopping it into pieces. "I have hesitated to bring pieces of the Source's cultures to the First," he continued to the group. "I believe that the First deserves the chance to develop on the merits of its own history, without the interference of another. Especially so when such interference would come disguised as a lost culture native to the First, which would be a lie for the ages to confound future historians."

"An excellent point," said Urianger. "We must not forget that we are interlopers. I have also hesitated for such reasons to spread certain knowledge of which I have seen a lack."

"And yet I heard that you named one of the Crystarium fish after a fish back home," I reminded the Exarch, handing him back his plate and utensils. He took them with a bashful expression.

"It was a charming fish, and it reminded me of a similarly cute fish in La Noscean waters," he said. He took the syrup pitcher and poured himself an indulgent pond on his plate. "When I learned that it had not yet been given a name, I could not resist."

A shared chuckle rounded the table.

I watched as G'raha began to tear into the pieces of pancake that I had cut for him. Seeing his fingers unsteadily grip the fork, I was overcome with a burst of bitter anger at Emet-Selch. What horrible machinations had that creature worked upon this man in his captivity, to leave him so weak? But I had already had my vengeance, and despite regretting that his destruction or mine had been the only viable outcome, in this moment I was happy to have done the deed. My hands curled into fists in my lap.

G'raha wiped a stray drop of syrup from his lip and looked up at me with a surprised expression. I realized that in my anger I was glaring at him - I quickly put on a more neutral expression and said, "I was just thinking about everything that's happened."

His face took on a tinge of concern, but I turned away and focused my attentions on the little iced cakes and how many I could shove into my mouth at once, and eventually he stopped looking at me and resumed eating.

His appetite seemed to grow even as he ate; soon he, too, was sampling the pastries, and it was a while before he sat back in his seat and looked sated. By then we were all done, and my comrades all dispersed with various pledges to see to the Crystarium while the Exarch was still indisposed. I was tasked with walking him back to the tower, a task I carried out with much inward glee.

Back in his rooms, he changed into clothes more suitable for sleeping and crawled back into bed with a weary sigh.

"Doing alright?" I asked at the sound, and he chuckled softly.

"Quite." He settled himself under the blankets and leaned his back against the pillows stacked to support him. "I seem to be recovering well. I imagine in a day or two I'll be fighting fit again - though there is little reason to be ready for a fight, now that you have triumphed."

I smiled. Seeing that he was comfortable and safe in bed again, I turned to leave.

"Wait," he called, and I stopped. I looked back at him: he had stretched out a hand towards me. He withdrew it and cleared his throat into his fist.

"Will you… stay?" he asked, quiet and furtive. His eyes dropped to his lap. "I have longed all this time to talk openly and honestly with you. The secrecy inherent in my task pained me. Now all is exposed, and I wish only to speak with you and know you better. Y-you needn't stay, if you are busy or disinclined," he added hastily, putting his hand over his heart, "but I… I only…"

He shut his eyes. His cheeks reddened in a blush. My own face heated at the severity of his earnestness. I crossed the room and sat on the bed near him, taking his hand in mine.

"I'll stay," I said softly, and he smiled at me with such warmth as I had never seen on his face. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of the gentle gratitude swimming in his ruby eyes. Oh, how I wanted to lean forward and kiss him - but I held myself back.

"Tell me of your adventures after I was sealed away in the Crystal Tower," he said. "I've read Heavensward - a copy was provided to me while the tower was researched - but I want to hear of it from the lips of the legend herself."

I nearly blushed at the fact that he had referred to my lips in the very same moment as I had thought of kissing him. "Where shall I start?"

"You were betrayed, and journeyed to Ishgard." His reply came instantly; it seemed almost as if he had prepared for this moment. I grinned.

"Very well," I said. "As you say, we were betrayed. The snow was bitterly cold as we approached Foundation…"

I regaled him with the true tales of my exploits for hours. Occasionally I was called away to take care of some task or another, but I quickly returned after I was finished each time, and resumed at where I had left off. G'raha's eyes were full of wonder as I recounted my story, trained on me with such calm intensity that I was loathe to leave him. He smiled brightly at every twist, though he knew of most of them already. He caressed my hand in sympathy as I relived the memory of Haurchefant's sacrifice.

"I read of his death," he said softly. "Knowing the loss you must have endured only strengthened my resolve to paint myself as an enemy at the last moment. I didn't want you to lose another friend if I could help it. Though, I'm sure I am not nearly as close to your heart…"

"Oh, but you are," I said immediately. "Moreso, even."

G'raha stared at me with wide eyes. "I…"

I swallowed. Heat rose to my cheeks as the sudden tension-filled silence grew bigger and bigger. We held each other's eyes, and I realized we were drawing closer to one another…

A knock sounded on the door. I leapt back with an undignified yelp and rushed to answer it. Arrayed behind it was a small fleet of silver platter-bearers. The woman at their head raised her hand and proudly declared, "Lunch is here!"

* * *

So it went for the next few days. G'raha recovered rapidly, and I stayed with him for hours on end, recounting my adventures through Heavensward all the way up until the very moment he had successfully summoned me to the First. He listened with great enthusiasm, and sometimes our conversations drifted as he asked me questions about my thoughts and feelings on what had happened. We debated a great many topics spawning from the moral conundrums I had encountered, and I got to know more about his time as the Crystal Exarch, gaining insight into his trials and tribulations as a leader.

"You have such a strong, yet gentle soul," I said once after he described resolving a lovers' dispute that had engulfed two entire factions in the Crystarium. "It's no wonder people look to you for leadership. No, it doesn't surprise me at all."

He smiled. "I have always thought the very same of you."

The reflected compliment hit me, and I waved bashfully and glanced away.

"Truly, in my eyes you are resilient and fearless, and without equal," he continued, sitting up a little further. "It is hard _ not _ to admire you."

"Stop," I urged jovially. Belatedly I glanced at the door, suspicious of another ill-timed intrusion, but there were no knocks. Satisfied, I gazed down at my lap. "I admire you, too."

He smiled at me, warm and sweet.

* * *

The night was aging when I slipped into the bath that had been brought to my room in the Pendants. I relaxed into the hot water's embrace with a weary sigh, glancing sideways at the floral designs painted on the privacy screen that shielded the bath from the other half of the room. My throat was sore; I had been talking all day, with the Exarch and many others - I'd been enlisted to help with gardening expansions near the Cabinet of Curiosity - and I longed for a lengthy silence. My muscles ached faintly from the work, which made the knock on my door all the more painful to have to get up and answer. I briefly considered ignoring it, but that might be unbecoming of the Warrior of Darkness, so I hauled myself out of the bath, wrapped a towel around my body, and went dripping to the door.

I froze in shock when I saw G'raha standing outside.

"Greetings," he said, ever polite. "I apologize for calling upon you at such an hour, but I must speak with you. May I come in?"

"Um." I glanced at my abandoned bath. "Can it wait?"

"I'm afraid… it must not," he replied. The hesitation was curious, but I wasn't about to question his sense of urgency. I stood aside and opened the door, and he strode in with purpose.

He started to speak just as he turned around, and upon seeing my state of undress, he gave a start. "Oh! You were bathing. I, ah…"

"It's fine," I assured him. "There's a privacy screen, as you can see. You can sit anywhere you like and I'll just finish up."

"No, I… well…" He drew himself up, pointedly looking away from me, and finally nodded. I smiled and returned to the bath, discarding the towel and slipping back in. The fire crystals under the tub had continued to keep the water nice and warm.

Through the privacy screen I could see that G'raha was still standing in the middle of the room. "Grab a chair," I urged, and he twitched before going to sit at the table that had been displaced to the center of the room to make way for the bath. His posture was stiff and very far from relaxed. Concern mounted in my chest. "What's the matter?" I asked.

"Nothing. I simply wished to… that is to say, I…" He stopped, clearing his throat, then fell silent.

"Raha?" I prompted.

"It's strange," he said, chuckling, "I had a whole speech prepared, and now every word has fled my mind, and I can't seem to call them back together."

"I don't really like being talked to in speeches anyway," I told him smoothly, even though I was reeling inside trying to think of what he might possibly have come to talk to me about that would have required a speech. "Just speak from the heart."

"From the heart…" He seemed to ruminate upon this, and at length he took a deep breath, as if gathering his courage, and nodded to himself. I was baffled. 

"I… have come to confess," he said at length. My heart gave a leap, but my mind beat it back to normalcy, because there was no way that he meant _ that. _

"What are you confessing?" I asked. Then, jokingly, I added, "Keep in mind that I can't absolve you of any sins. I'm not a priest!" 

"No sins," he said slowly. "It's not that sort of confession."

I began to scrub my arms with soap while I waited. My limbs trembled from my thumping pulse, which raced despite my attempts to calm it.

"I've wanted to tell you for a long time," he said, his voice soft. "But I kept it to myself out of necessity, both then and now. After spending these last few days in your company, I wish to hide it no longer."

"Hide what?" I asked, nearly breathless, when he fell silent. I stopped breathing entirely as I waited for his answer, and when it came… 

"My feelings," he declared in a voice barely above a whisper. My stomach fluttered with warmth. Was I imagining this?

"The feelings you inspire in me when I look at you, when I am with you," he continued with a little more confidence. "I admire you as I have admired no one else. I have said it before: you are my inspiration. I carry such deep affection for you in my heart that at times it feels tethered to my very soul. It fills me to bursting until I cannot speak to you. I do not know how I am managing to speak now."

I, myself, could not speak. My mouth hung open as I stared at his silhouette through the privacy screen.

"And now I place myself at your mercy," he said quietly, "as it is your choice to reject me or fulfill my heart's deepest desire... and I know not what you will do."

"Raha…" I swallowed. I saw the muted shape of his ears twitching nervously, and the sight filled me with adoration. I swooned inside. "I feel the same way. Of course I do. How could I not?"

G'raha straightened slightly. "Truly?" He shifted in his seat. "This… this is not a cruel joke, perhaps vengeance for my deception?"

I surged up and out of the bath, coming around the privacy screen and storming towards a startled G'raha, dripping water everywhere. He leapt to his feet in shock. When I reached him I grabbed his flesh and blood hand and placed it directly upon my naked breast, over my heart. His ears went straight up and he made a sound, aghast.

"Do you feel the way my heart is racing?" I asked, keeping the indignation out of my voice.

"I-I…" G'raha blushed deeply.

"Feel it," I demanded.

He shut his mouth and pointedly looked into my eyes. His hand relaxed on my breast, and he took a deep breath.

"Yes," he said at length.

"Does it seem like I'm joking?"

"No," he replied quickly. His eyes dropped, and then he realized he was looking down at my naked body, and he quickly threw his gaze to the side. "I'm sorry for asking such a question. I-I only… I can scarcely believe it."

Gently, I cupped his cheek in my hand and turned his face back toward mine. He looked into my eyes. I saw waves of emotion roiling across the red, and I smiled at him. My hand slid around to the back of his head and I pulled him into a kiss.

His posture stiffened. His breath fluttered against my skin as he stood frozen, and I kissed his barely parted lips, trying to coax a response from him. I pulled away, frowning a little, but something seemed to come to life inside him, and he leaned in and closed the space between us again, finally closing his lips upon mine.

He clearly knew the way of it, but he was somewhat clumsy, unpracticed. I let him set the pace. I pressed myself against him and threw my other arm about his shoulder, and he gingerly wrapped his arms around me, his hands resting delicately on my bare back, as if afraid that pressing too confidently would confirm that I wasn't real and this wasn't happening. Or perhaps he was afraid to touch my naked body so soon. I, meanwhile, hugged him tight, as if to say, _ yes, I'm here, I'm real, I promise. You can touch me. _

When we parted, our breathing was similarly elevated, and a similar idea was passing between us.

G'raha stepped back and admired his soaked front. "I'm wet in the shape of a woman," he said with some amusement.

"I did that on purpose," I informed him. "I want to finish bathing; you should take off your clothes and help me."

He looked at me in shock. "You… would allow me to touch you so intimately?"

I couldn't help a chuckle as I headed back to the bath. "Raha, after I'm done, I intend for you to do more than just touch me."

His eyes widened further. A blush crossed his face as he swallowed. I turned and shot him an alluring glance over my shoulder. "Well?"

I heard him wrestling with his Exarch's robes as I settled back into the water. My heart was still pounding as I resumed scrubbing my breasts, midriff, and groin; I was concerned that letting him at those might shatter his resolve under the weight of his nervousness. When he peeked around the privacy screen, he was dressed up to his undershirt, to my disappointment. I gestured for him to come closer.

"Will you do my back? I can't get all of it myself." I asked him this casually, as if we were long lovers and already comfortable with one another. G'raha nodded and took the soap, then knelt behind me. I leaned forward cooperatively. His soap-lathered hands settled on my shoulders. They were trembling.

"Don't be nervous," I said encouragingly. "There's nothing to it. ...You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"I do," he said. "My confidence is simply not prepared for how this has gone. I had thought you would reject me. I had not expected this, not in the slightest."

I smiled as his hands slid down my back, then came back up to my shoulders, rubbing in circles, back and forth. After a while he began to massage my shoulders with special attention. His crystal hand, firm as it was, was especially suited to this; I moaned suddenly as his thumb passed over a hardened knot in my shoulder. G'raha froze briefly.

"Oh," he murmured, and breathed a laugh. "I… should I stop?"

"Maybe, or else I'll get way too used to this," I said with a grin. I lifted my leg out of the water and rested it on the side of the basin. "Legs?"

G'raha's eyes ran the length of my flesh, and I finally glimpsed hints of hunger no longer suppressed. The sight set a small fire burning in me. He lathered soap in his hands again, then, hesitating, placed them on my thigh. He glanced briefly at me, and his lips twitched at a smile as he began to rub down my leg. He encircled it with both hands, and on the return trip they separated to caress me. He let one hand travel all the way up my inner thigh until his fingers brushed the place where my leg and my pelvis met, and he looked at me again, his eyes searching my face. I inhaled and held my breath, suddenly aroused and desperately wanting him to employ his hands in other activities. He might have seen this on my face, because he smiled with a light blush and resumed washing me. For a moment I thought he might actually be ten times more suave than I had assumed, but then he leaned down and kissed my soapy knee, and when he lifted his head and realized that his lips were now similarly soapy, he sputtered and wiped it away with a laugh.

"I didn't think that through," he said, and I chuckled alongside him. The tension was relieved; my other leg went without incident, and then I was mostly done. I figured that I would wash again after… _ after, _so I wasn't too concerned with the rest.

I rose from the bath and accepted the towel he handed me, and began to dry myself off. G'raha stood awkwardly to the side. When I was finally dry, I let the towel drop to the floor and approached him. He seemed to nearly take a step back.

"I…"

I laid my hand on his chest. "What's wrong?"

He took my hand in his and regarded me with a calm but serious gaze. "When I am away from the Tower, the feeling in the flesh that is crystal is… diminished. Even now, with the Tower only a few minutes' walk away, the feeling is somewhat muted, if only a little. I wish to feel your touch with all of my being," he said with small fervor. "If you truly want to… to go further, would you mind if we continued this in my chambers instead?"

"I'd be delighted," I said without hesitating. "Let's get dressed."

* * *

The night was cool and dry in the Crystarium, the sky clear and full of stars. We walked at a hurried pace, which I found amusing; two lovers, rushing off to paw at one another in the bushes. I nudged G'raha's hand, and he turned an inquisitive look my way. I searched for his crystal fingers, and understanding passed across his face as he and I twined them together to hold hands. He glanced around, clearly concerned that someone might see us, but it was getting late and most everyone was shut up for the night. Still, he separated us as we approached the Crystarium guard.

When we arrived in his chambers, he turned and shut the door behind us, and then lifted a glowing hand toward it. I heard a click.

"Ah! It _ does _ lock!" I remarked.

"Yes," he said, and an awkward silence fell upon us.

"Raha…" I bit my lip, and was not surprised to discover a similarly bashful look on his face.

He fixed his gaze on me. "There's something you should know, before we…"

"Does it have to do with why you wanted to continue in the Tower?" Embarrassingly, I had the deepest dread that he was going to tell me that more of him was crystal than I expected, including certain relevant areas. But he shook his head.

"No. I'm a little ashamed to say this, but…" He took my hands in his and studied the floor between us. "This is… this will be my first time."

Unable to help myself, I barked an incredulous laugh. "What? A man like you?"

A stricken smile twisted his lips. "I was never approached, or focused on that sort of thing in my youth," he explained. "Then, when I met you, I was transfixed. I wanted no one else. Even during my time on the First, I only had eyes for you." He lifted a hand and trailed his fingers down my cheek with soft reverence. "My heart was set upon you. All these long years I have pined for you. At night I lay awake, aching to see you again. I even-" He stopped for a moment to grimace, smiling shyly. "I learned to use my left hand, when the nights were truly lonely. A crystal palm is… less suitable, you see."

I blushed at the personal nature of this confession. My heart soared at his passion for me.

G'raha suddenly surged forward, gathering me in his arms and nestling the side of his head against mine. "I have wanted you for so long," he breathed.

"You have me now," I said softly. "Take me."

He pulled me flush against him. His hands roamed my back. I wrapped my arms around him and leaned my head back, and he moved in and captured my lips in a deep kiss, full of longing. I kissed him back, already breathless.

"Raha," I whispered when we broke apart. He found the hem of my shirt and pulled upwards, lifting it up and over my arms. Adorably, he left me for a moment and sought a suitable place to lay it out. When he returned and I helped him puddle my lower garments at my feet, I kicked them away without care, giggling at the way he twitched to nearly run after them.

"Now, how do we disassemble this robe of yours?" I asked, and G'raha simply pulled it up over his head. I didn't begrudge him wanting to set this one out neatly. Afterwards I had the opportunity to feel him shudder as I pulled his shirt off and shoved his shorts to the floor, and I stepped back to admire his naked form.

I stared at his chest with wonder. The crystal started at his neck in a V shape, then spread across his breast and shoulders in a wide swath, encompassing his right shoulder and arm entirely. It dipped down his right side, and came in tapered streaks across his stomach. One long tendril, lattice-like, traced his muscle down to his thigh, like a huge crystal vein.

I could sense that he wanted to cover himself or hide away. "I hope it's not discomforting to see," he said quietly. I shook my head and smiled.

"No - on the contrary, I think it's fascinating and beautiful, truly." I knelt and traced the long tendril of crystal with my finger, paying little mind to the erection nearby. The texture was strange, like his hand; pliant like flesh, but somehow firm like stone at the same time. I leaned forward and kissed it, and he sucked in a breath. As I stood back up, I trailed kisses across the path of crystal, until I reached his neck and played special attention across it. He shuddered again, his head listing to one side. I reached down and took him in hand, stroking gently. He made a small sound in response.

"I…" He shut his mouth and flushed red. "Mm."

"You were serious about this being your first time?" I asked him, despite knowing the answer; he nodded. I pecked a kiss on his lips. "You shall not soon forget this night, I swear it."

"I have dreamt of this night for a century," he said quietly. "I would be a fool to forget even a moment."

I pressed myself against him, rubbing his erection against my skin. He shut his eyes.

"I'm afraid I might not perform well," he admitted. I kissed his cheek and let my lips remain there.

"You don't need to," I said. "Let me take care of everything."

"But I only wish to please you, and if I-"

I kissed his lips to cut him off. "Stop. Let _ me _ please _ you _ your first time. There will be plenty of chances for you to return the favor later."

I took him by the hand and led him to the bed, gesturing for him to enter that intimate space first. "On your back," I directed with a smile, and he crawled on and shifted until he lay on his back, resting against the stacked pillows so he could sit up. I slid after him until I was leaning down between his legs, and he gave a start when he realized what I was about to do.

"Oh," he said with surprise, then, _ "oh," _ as I took him in my hand and ran my tongue slowly up his length, stopping to tease the tip when I reached it. "Ah… I…"

I felt him struggle not to squirm as I enveloped him with my mouth, my tongue pulsing against the underside as I began to stroke him. I leaned in, taking him further, then bobbed up and down, my hand caring for the places my mouth could not touch. He gasped, then held his breath, then moaned softly. My own heat throbbed at the pleasure I was giving him. Out of the corner of my eye I saw his hands claw fistfulls of the sheets into unsteady grips.

It wasn't long before he begged me to stop in panting half-starts. I lifted my head and removed my hand.

"Gods," he breathed. His ruby eyes were swimming with the veil of lust. "I… I need a moment."

I sat back on my heels, grinning with satisfaction. _ That _ was an act that I hadn't performed in a long time, but I seemed to have pleased him all the same, and that was good enough for me.

"That was…" He trailed off, unable to find the words. I moved forward and crawled on top of him until my hips hovered over his, carefully not touching anything sensitive. I kissed him, and he gaped into my mouth and found my tongue with his, his movements quick and firm with want, and I knew that it was time.

I pulled back. "Are you ready?" I asked softly.

"Yes," he whispered, hungry.

I lowered my hips and teased him with wet rubbing. A fluttering sigh emerged from him. "Please…"

I reached down and guided him to the precipice, pausing until I sensed that he might perish from the wait, then lowered myself onto him slowly, savoring the feeling of his entry. I watched the myriad expressions flitting across his face as I took him deep inside me. 

He breathed hard and slow. "Ah…"

I leaned down and kissed his neck as I began to move back and forth across his lap, taking him deeper. He turned his head with a moan and whispered my name in a breath that was smothered beneath the weight of his pleasure.

"Oh, Raha," I responded, and added a moan of my own.

He opened his eyes and looked up at me. His expression was desperate, his lips parted as he panted out his passion. His hands found my breasts and caressed them, then slid down my sides and settled upon my hips, which they then gripped nearly to the point of pain.

His breathing hitched suddenly. I sped my pace along as he groaned with urgency, then panted hard, then stopped breathing except to moan. He turned his head to the side and a look of pure ecstasy crossed his blushing face. He shuddered, and I felt his release inside me. 

I slowed, smiling down at him as he recovered from the intensity of his first orgasm in the arms of another. I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of him, now smiling tiredly up at me.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his face twisted in a bashful expression and he looked away. 

I leaned down and kissed the cheek that was turned toward me. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"I did… very much so. I'm so sorry I didn't last longer. It was simply too much."

Yes, I hadn't reached my climax, but a deep sense of satisfaction was glowing in my stomach from having brought him such thorough pleasure. I shook my head and laughed. "You don't need to apologize! I wasn't expecting you to perform like a veteran your first time."

"Still, I-"

I silenced him with a finger on his lips. "I intend to make up for lost time, G'raha Tia. You're going to get plenty of practice."

His eyes widened, and then he smiled warmly. "I look forward to it."

I gently lifted myself off of him and left the bed for the washroom. "I'm going to get cleaned up," I told him before I rushed to complete arguably the most inconvenient part of sex. A minute later I crawled back to his side, welcoming his arm around me as I leaned against him.

I hadn't had an orgasm, yet somehow G'raha's afterglow seemed to radiate from him in waves, and it washed over me and brought me the same kind of soothing comfort. I nuzzled my face against his skin happily.

"I cursed myself for not recognizing you, you know," I told him after a few minutes of lying idly together. He turned his head toward me to show that he was listening. "I should have recognized your lips instantly."

His ears twitched. "My lips?"

"Yes!" I slid one hand up his chest and caressed his lower lip with my thumb. "Your voice is different, but I should have recognized your lips."

"Are they truly so unique?" he asked with some amusement.

"Only in the sense that I dearly wanted to kiss them, all the way back then." I smiled up at him. "I was so broken up when you had to seal yourself in the Tower, and no one really knew why. I had begun to fall for you."

"I love you," G'raha blurted. I looked at him, blinking. He cleared his throat. "I mean… there was the idea of you that I held in my head, which I loved with all my heart. But time warps all memory, and after decades I had begun to fear that I was in love with an idealized version of you, a character created from my longing for you and my imperfect memories." He paused briefly, his lips curling into a smile. "But when I summoned you to the First and beheld you once more - when I witnessed again your kindheartedness, your courage - I knew that I had remembered you well, and I still love you as you are now."

I sat up with tears in my eyes and lowered my face to his. "I love you, too."

He wrapped his arms around me and we kissed once more. It was a tender kiss, full of the weight of our confession. G'raha held me close, and his hands explored me freely; he was no longer afraid.

Soon his movements took on a hint of longing again. I swept my leg up, intending to lay it across his torso, and I bumped gently against his hardness on the way.

G'raha broke the kiss. "I think I'm ready to go again," he said softly. I moved to climb on top of him, but he put his hands on my shoulders and pressed me down. "No - I want to take you this time."

I flushed with warmth at his sudden, gentle assertiveness. I laid back and spread my legs to allow him to settle himself between them. There was a spark of nervousness in his eye as he poised over me.

"Do it," I urged, giving my voice a husky edge. "Take me."

The nervous spark was obliterated in the fire of lust. He pressed forward, guiding himself into me. I sighed with pleasure at feeling him inside again. G'raha stilled, inhaling and then exhaling deeply. A focused, determined expression materialized across his features. I found it adorably endearing, and I grinned up at him, unable to keep my face schooled to a lascivious look as a wave of joy pushed through me.

He lowered himself to me, resting on his elbows and wrapping his arms around me, while he delved further in. I put my legs around his waist and squeezed him closer to signal that I wanted all of him. He obliged, slowly. Once he was as far as he could go, his lower torso pressing hard into my pelvis, I parted my legs so that he could retreat, and begin.

He started slow, with little thrusts. I smiled, and murmured, "You can go as rough as you like. It won't hurt me."

G'raha stopped, sucking in a breath. Perhaps my direction had pleased him dangerously. "Are you sure?"

"Quite." I reached up and trailed my hand down his cheek. "Make love to me the way you've always dreamed of, Raha."

His eyes widened and he gulped. "Oh, gods." He took a heavy pause. "I cannot describe what just came over me. You nearly finished me with your words."

I laughed. "Behold but a fraction of my power."

He began again, more zealously this time. His thrusts were measured and deep, and pleasure began to build inside me. I laid my head back against the pillows and enjoyed him. Breathy moans escaped me, though I tried to hold them back for his sake.

He nuzzled my neck with open-mouthed kisses, his breath crashing hot against my skin. My name passed over his lips in a groan. My hands went to his back, where my nails dug gently into his flesh as the heat began to boil and rise.

"Oh, oh, Raha…" The pleasure bloomed and erupted inside me as I cried out. Again G'raha's breathing faltered, and he drove into me with the pitch of my climax as his own seized him and coaxed his release from his body.

We came down from the height together. G'raha sank his head to my breast and breathed deeply as he withdrew, and then his exhaustion seemed to hit him all at once, and he listed to one side and fell to the bed. He rolled onto his back and we shifted until we lay arm to arm, staring up at the crystal-veined ceiling. His hand sought mine and entwined our fingers together.

"Splendidly done," I told him.

"Truly?" He squeezed my hand. "Thank you. It gratifies me more than you know to hear that I managed to please you."

"You more than managed it." I sighed out a blissful breath. Already the afterglow was pulsing through me in gentle waves. "I'm so happy."

"As am I."

We turned our heads and exchanged a loving gaze.

"Will you stay the night?" asked G'raha. 

I chuckled and sat up to leave the bed for the washroom again. "I never planned on leaving, my dear."

After cleaning up, and bringing back a rag for him to do the same, I settled myself against his side and we burrowed under the blankets. G'raha pulled an extravagantly puffy and thick quilt over us. "It gets cold in the Tower, most nights," he explained. Indeed, the chill had already begun to prickle at my skin now that the warmth of lust had abated. 

Soon after we settled I heard his breathing slow and deepen, and sleep followed for me quickly. For once, I dreamt of pleasant things.

* * *

I woke to a world thick with heat and humidity.

I slowly blinked my eyes open, wondering where in the world I was, and it took me a few moments for my sluggish morning processing abilities remembered that I had gone to bed with G'raha, and I was still there now, and the mountainous quilt that he had thrown over us the night before was covering my head, trapping me in a warm cavern created by my own breathing. My body was even slower to wake; I could not move to shed the quilt and take a breath of fresh air just yet.

I heard G'raha stir nearby. He sighed deeply, and I heard the bed creak a little as he sat up. His movement pulled a little bit of the blankets away, and I savored the rush of fresh air and the glimpse of him - until I realized that he was bent over himself, his face buried in his hands. His shoulders shook ever so slightly. Was he crying?

A surge of concern finally awakened my limbs. I shed the blanket and reached out, touching him gently. "Raha?" 

He yelped with alarm and gave a start, scooting one short hop away, then sagged and sighed upon recognizing me. There _ were _ tears in his eyes.

"You're here," he breathed incredulously.

I pushed myself up on my elbow, further freeing myself from the blankets, and gave him a strange look. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I thought I had dreamed it," he said, voice thick. 

"You didn't think to check right next to you?" I pointed out with a smile, but my smile faded when the tears in his eyes spilled over and ran down his cheeks. His hand leapt to arrest them.

"No," he said. "When I woke up, I was convinced… I was _ certain _ it had all been a dream. My lonely heart had conjured it, and I was alone again. I was certain…but you're here."

He heaved a fluttering sigh, so near to a sob. I felt a cold pang in my heart. I pushed myself up and crawled over to him, then coaxed his hands away from his face and pulled his head down to my breast. His arms circled me and hugged me tight.

"I _ am _ here," I said. "I'm real. I only regret that it took me so long to get here. Dry your tears."

"I know. I'm sorry… I… forgive me this display."

"Shhh. It's alright." I stroked his back as he regained control of himself.

Very quickly he came back into his normal calm. At length he straightened, clearly looking embarrassed. I ran a hand down his cheek and smiled encouragingly, and my wordless gesture banished some of his shame. He smiled.

"Your breasts are the most comforting, _ comfortable _ pillows a man might ever lay his weary head upon," he said suddenly, then dropped his gaze and smiled wider at his own brazenness. I grinned with delight.

"That was a fine compliment," I told him. "Keep them coming!"

"I shall endeavor to do so."

Our heads turned as one at the sound of a knock on the door.

Immediately I looked to G'raha for direction. "Should I hide?" I asked. He hesitated, then shook his head.

"One moment," he called out to whoever waited, then rushed to pull on a shirt and some pants. I could have done the same, but I merely drew the blankets up over my breasts to indulge him in some form of modesty.

He unlocked the door with a glowing hand and a click, then opened it just enough to address his caller. Unfortunately this afforded them a clear view of his bedroom, and therefore myself.

It was Lyna. Even worse, she towered over him.

"Good morning, Exarch. I am here to secure your permission to send for breakfast, and-"

Her eyes wandered over his head and locked on mine, and she poorly concealed a start.

"Yes," said G'raha with perfect calm, "for two, please. I… have a guest."

"As well as whatever your equivalent of morning-after contraceptive is," I added. "Preferably the tea kind, if it exists."

"I… see," said Lyna. She recovered her composure and bent her arms in the Crystarium Guard salute. "It shall be done."

"Thank you," said G'raha, and closed the door in the wake of her departure. He turned to me, gazing through the floor, one hand remaining on the door. There was a grim smile on his face. "And now the whole world shall know that the Crystal Exarch and the Warrior of Darkness have shared a bed," he murmured.

"Does that bother you?" I asked. He pursed his lips slightly, then shook his head.

"It should not," he replied. "No - I believe it does not. Though I am driven to wonder what the general reaction shall be. It is common if unspoken knowledge that the Crystal Exarch has never taken a lover; this rumor will spread like wildfire, especially since we are both public figures. I wonder which of our reputations shall speed the talk along faster: that of the mysterious Crystal Exarch from a mysterious land, or that of the Warrior of Darkness, savior and bringer of the night sky?" He looked at me. "Well? Which do you think?"

I leaned forward with interest. "I say yours. I'm a rogue element; the people barely know me. You, however, have been a fixture in their lives since many of them were born. Your aspect is much more interesting."

He laughed. "I believe you may be right."

"You really think Lyna is that much of a gossip?"

"Perhaps not, but consider: I have ordered breakfast for two early in the morning, too early for a visitor to make a proper call without having already been present. There are chefs who will have to prepare this breakfast; they will talk to others. I have also put in an order to the alchemists for a contraceptive, and the implications of this are quite clear. The workers who deliver us the breakfast for two will surely recognize the contraceptive, as it is a commonly used mixture. The only conclusions that anyone can draw are either that I had an intimate guest last night and she remains this morning, or that I plan to have an intimate guest this morning and breakfast with her besides."

My jaw dropped. I hadn't considered any of this. "You truly have your finger on the pulse of the people," I said with awe. He shrugged modestly.

"When one is in a position of leadership, one learns the movements of the people one leads. I have merely watched, and listened."

"It's impressive." Warmth was pulsing inside me at these demonstrations of his competency, funnily enough. I had an idea. "Would you like another chance to impress me?"

G'raha tipped his head slightly with a questioning look. I let the blanket fall from my front, revealing my breasts again. I smiled as I saw his eyes flit from my face to my chest and back.

"Finish us both before breakfast is delivered," I proposed firmly. G'raha stared at me with a gape, a blush coming into his cheeks. I flicked the blankets off and uncovered the rest of me. "You don't have long," I reminded him teasingly.

He swallowed, finally called to action, and reached back to tug his shirt over his head. The bed rocked as he practically lept upon it, and I laughed as his lips fell upon mine, warm and sweet and full of love.


End file.
